Daily Job Seeker Tip: Salary Expectations

It’s tempting to hike up that salary number in an interview with the goal of creating negotiation wiggle room. However, in 99% of all cases, this is a big mistake. Instead of landing your dream job with a big check, all you’ll succeeding in doing is coming across as money motivated.

Employers are wary about money motivated candidates because these candidates are rarely interested in the company or the position, and they will hop to a higher paying job in a moment’s notice. Your best bet is to be realistic and honest about your salary expectations or simply leave the negotiating to an experienced recruiter.

One Response to “Daily Job Seeker Tip: Salary Expectations”

Evansays:

I smile and say, “Yes, that’s why we all go to work, when pressed for salary expectations I have done my homework about what the rates range for specific jobs”.

I state what the market rates on job sites list for these positions, all the while stating, of course this depends on the company’s budget and reinforcing that it’s not all about money -you do this because you like this kind of work (well that’s true isn’t it?). This shows you know what you are worth but demonstrates commitment and loyalty. Personally, I value stability and would take a salaried ft position with medical for a lower rate because the value balances itself. Contacting is a higher rate because there will be time between contracts without work and/or a contractor doesn’t get sick time and has to buy his/her own insurance.

When going through a recruiter though, be very careful to state that the rate and negotiations are handled through the recruiter -and it’s the protocol when working through these channels. Sometimes you will be tested to check your character (or to see if you and the recruiter are on the same page -don’t play this game!), or the interviewer might not actually know.